By Larry Rupp
It shouldn’t be shocking to see quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (+100) and Joe Burrow (+225) own the best odds to take home the Super Bowl MVP Award on Sunday, February 13. A QB has taken home the hardware in five of the last seven years and 31 times overall.
That doesn’t mean backing them comes with much value, though. The payout is small and taking chances is what sports betting is all about, anyways. Here are three under the radar candidates to earn this year’s Super Bowl MVP Award, with all odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Von Miller (+4500)
It wasn’t too long ago that linebacker Von Miller was named Super Bowl MVP with the Denver Broncos in 2015. He racked up 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1 pass breakup in what was an all-around impactful defensive performance. The 32-year-old’s name sticks out at +4500 odds simply because of his ability to make the big plays. Miller has already logged 12 tackles (4 for loss), 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble during the playoffs.
Fellow pass-rusher Aaron Donald could be double-teamed throughout the game in order to prevent him from wreaking havoc in the backfield. Of course, that would give Miller a ton of one-on-one matchups on the outside against a Cincinnati offensive line that has given up 12 sacks over the last three games. Betting on history always gets the juices flowing and Miller could be the first-non-QB to take home the award twice in their career.
#Rams Von Miller and Aaron Donald know they're not done.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 2, 2022
"Love you bro. We got one more game."pic.twitter.com/0grysmocU8
Tyler Boyd (+9000)
It’s become clear that the Bengals are going to rely on their passing game as much as possible during this surprising playoff run. They have posted a passing play percentage of well over 60% in the postseason and now face a Rams’ defense that is giving up 238.6 passing yards per game (No. 21 in NFL). That bodes well for Tyler Boyd’s chances of having a huge performance.
Boyd is likely Burrow’s No. 3 target behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but that may not matter if Los Angeles is able to take advantage of a poor Cincinnati offensive line. The Bengals’ quarterback could be forced to go for the shorter plays rather than the ones that take some time to develop. It’s not completely unrealistic to think that Boyd could rack up double-digit catches in this one. That makes him well worth a dart throw here.
"It's a dream come true." Tyler Boyd remembers dreaming of going to the Super Bowl when he was 8 years old. "I'm here now… Who Dey baby." @WLWT #Bengals pic.twitter.com/4i4CqEALFZ
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) January 31, 2022
Evan McPherson (+15000)
Super Bowl 56 has no shortage of exciting story lines, but the ascension of rookie kicker Evan McPherson may be the best one of all. The former Florida standout was the only kicker drafted back in April before he went on to lead all NFL kickers with 11 50-plus yard kicks in 2021. He has also made all 12 of his field goal attempts in the playoffs, which is the highest total without a single miss in NFL postseason history.
The 22-year-old’s efforts have caused the Cincinnati fan base to simply fall in love with him. His jersey was sold out for days after the Bengals won the AFC Championship game and he has also filed for a trademark on his nickname “MONEY MAC”. Trusting McPherson to become the first rookie as well as the first kicker to earn the Super Bowl MVP Award is the perfect long shot bet.
Evan Mcpherson 12-12 on field goals this postseason.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 30, 2022
Two game-winning kicks.
Absolute LEGEND. pic.twitter.com/oxvPdx9W9l
Picture Credit: Shutterstock
